The 2016 Rio Olympics are still more than four years away, but Rory McIlroy has already discussed his dilemma of choosing which nation to represent at the Games -- Ireland or Great Britain. McIlroy's countryman Padraig Harrington is the latest to weigh in, and the three-time major-winner says the most pro-Irish thing McIlroy can do is to play for Great Britain. Here's Harrington's rationale, according to the Irish Times.

"I'm fascinated with all this conversation about who we declare for," the Dubliner told Setanta Sports in a new program called The Cut Line, to be aired at 10 p.m. on Saturday evening.

"If Rory and Graeme declare for Great Britain, it means we get two more Irish guys into it - as in myself and Darren Clarke get to play. You see the system works if you're in the top fifteen, you can have more than two from the country.

"So, if somebody wants Rory to be as Irish as he can be, he better declare for GB and we get two more guys in. When it comes down to it, it will be a complete no brainer because nobody is losing out, you're actually just gaining a couple of more spots for Irish guys."

An Olympic gold, he says, could be a "career-defining" moment, that "will have relevance in time".

Is Harrington's opinion patriotic or self-serving? And is there any guarantee that in four years he and Clarke would be the two best Irishmen after McIlroy and McDowell? Let us hear it in the comments section below.

It's Never Too Early...
...to start talking Masters. This week Golfodds.com released its odds on the Masters. Looks like some insiders believe that Tiger is back. Here are the favorites, according to the site.

Odds to Win 2012 Masters:

Tiger Woods 9/2
Rory McIlroy 8/1
Phil Mickelson 15/1
Lee Westwood 20/1
Luke Donald 20/1
Adam Scott 25/1
Jason Day 30/1
Dustin Johnson 30/1
Nick Watney 40/1
Rickie Fowler 40/1
Martin Kaymer 40/1
Charl Schwartzel 40/1
Sergio Garcia 30/1
Matt Kuchar 40/1
Hunter Mahan 40/1
Steve Stricker 40/1
Anthony Kim 40/1
Webb Simpson 40/1
Bubba Watson 50/1
Justin Rose 60/1
Geoff Ogilvy 60/1
K.J. Choi 50/1
Graeme McDowell 60/1
Padraig Harrington 80/1
Retief Goosen 80/1
Paul Casey 50/1
Ian Poulter 60/1
Jim Furyk 60/1
Zach Johnson 80/1
Keegan Bradley 60/1
Angel Cabrera 100/1
Y.E. Yang 80/1
Gary Woodland 80/1
Ryo Ishikawa 100/1
Ryan Moore 100/1
Ernie Els 80/1
Brandt Snedeker 60/1
Bill Haas 80/1
Bo Van Pelt 80/1
Field (All Others) 15/1

Where would you place your money? Our favorite picks off this board are McIlroy, Watney and Choi.

Hallway Golf Video of the Day
NBC released a new video of Samuel L. Jackson's appearance on Jimmy Fallon, where the two celebs clash in a round of "Hallway Golf." (Fallon is actually a big golf fan, in case you missed it on Golf.com.)

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Tiger Woods: Hootie and the Blowfish

Tiger Woods has a few favorite groups -- he emerged from his 2010 scandals to see a Nickelback show and Van Halen once headlined his Tiger Jam fund-raising concert, but when he needed a wedding band, he called his pals Hootie and the Blowfish.

Padraig Harrington: Eminem

Harrington is a big fan of the Detroit rapper, whom he called a "genius." No question, the three-time major win relates to this lyric: “You only get one shot so don’t miss your chance to blow, opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yo.”

Justin Rose: Michael Jackson

Sorry, Jim Nantz, it's not Bette Midler. Rose told Golf Magazine that his favorite song is the King of Pop’s “Man in the Mirror.”

Nick Watney: Jay-Z

Watney is one of the biggest hip-hop fans on Tour, and Jay-Z is his favorite.

Bill Haas: Mark Cohn

Haas named the 1990s gem “Walking in Memphis” by Mark Cohn as his favorite song in an interview with Golf Magazine. Of course, when Haas sings along he adds his own lyric: “Walking in Memphis, with $10 million in my hand, walking in Memphis, but do I really feel the way I feel?”

Hunter Mahan: The Clash

As you probably guessed from the “Oh, Oh, Oh” music video where he raided David Lee Roth’s closet, Mahan likes to rock. In an interview with The New York Times, Mahan name-checked Linkin Park, Florence and the Machine and The Clash as favorite bands.

Rickie Fowler: Eminem

Another PGA Tour Eminem fan. We’re guessing the Quail Hollow members are going to tell Rickie to turn this down. 

Keegan Bradley: Mumford and Sons

The PGA champ tweeted that Mumford & Sons are “officially the greatest band of all time.” 

D.A. Points: Snoop Dogg

Points said “Who Am I?” from Snoop Dogg’s 1993 debut “Doggystyle” is his favorite song in an interview with Golf Magazine. 

Fluff Cowan: The Grateful Dead

Jim Furyk’s caddie Cowan is a longtime Deadhead. 

Luke Donald: Coldplay

Donald said he listened to a lot of trance music when he was younger, but his musical tastes are more mainstream now, according to an interview with PGATour.com.

Lee Westwood: Wham!

Westwood confessed to The Express (UK) newspaper that he had “his first snog” to Wham’s “Last Christmas.”

John Daly: Kid Rock

Daly and Rock played in one of the most famous pro-ams ever at the 2008 Buick Open, when Daly teed up a ball on Rock’s tall-boy can of Bud.

Don’t count Padraig Harrington among those calling for caddie Steve Williams’s head following Williams’s racially insensitive remarks in Shanghai last weekend. According to The Telegraph (UK), Harrington said that the decision to retain Williams is his boss Adam Scott’s alone:

It really is up to them," Harrington said. "Caddies have changed hands for many reasons. Some very fickle, some very serious. "It's always much more to do with the player and the caddie and things going on. Unless you're involved you don't know what's happening."

But Harrington said he hoped Williams, who has apologised to Woods over the incident, was able to smooth over relations which have been rocky since their split this year.

"Hopefully for such a long relationship that they had together it would be nice if they could find some common ground," said Harrington. "You can't give up 13 years of your life. It was a great 13 years for both of them."

Nick Faldo pitches multiple designers for Rio Olympic golf course

The biggest names in golf are competing for the chance to design the new Olympic course for golf’s inclusion in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janiero. However, Nick Faldo, a noteworty course designer in his own right, has proposed the course be a collaboration between all those top designers, according to The Orlando Sentinel.

How about 18 holes, 18 designers –- all major champions?

“I think it would be the one-off of all one-offs,” said Nick Faldo, winner of six major titles and the man who hatched the idea.

Certainly it would make a splash. Golf, which disappeared from the Olympic program after the 1904 Games in St. Louis, has the chance to commemmorate its return with a venue celebrating the game’s modern era.

“We’ve got a lot of global major winners, those who have retired and have their own design business,” Faldo said. “Make it like a mini-Hall of Fame. The important thing is to leave a legacy.”

Tiger chills out with Liz Hurley in Australia

Tiger Woods isn’t on vacation this week in Australia, but he’s been keeping a pretty busy social and business schedule as he prepares for this week’s Australian Open in Syney, according to The Australian newspaper.

He has spent recent days criss-crossing the country, playing golf with James Packer, helping out high rollers and catching up with old friend Shane Warne and his new partner, Liz Hurley.

But yesterday it was back to business for Tiger Woods. The world No 58 -- yes, the game's greatest player has fallen that far in the past two years -- stepped up his preparations for this week's Australian Open by playing a casual four holes at The Lakes in Sydney.

It's been a decidedly low-key lead-up for the 14-time major winner. Woods played two invitational events in Perth and Melbourne, where he was a guest of the Burswood and Crown casinos. In Melbourne, he attended the opening of Warne's new bar and renewed acquaintances with the former Australian leg spinner. 

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There was a lot of bellyaching last week surrounding the PGA Championship. The lack of big names, a controversial setup and a whole lot of commercials got golf fans riled up at the season's final major.

John Huggan went so far as to say it's time to take away the PGA's status as a major championship.

Besides, in this ever-changing world, the PGA of America -- like its counterparts elsewhere, in so many ways a dying organization -- has no business running such an important event. Sweater salesmen should stick to what they do best and leave big-time golf to those who have at least a clue about the running of an elite professional tournament. Think about it. Never before in the history of the game has the gap between "golf professional" and "professional golfer" been so vast. And it's only going to get bigger.

Here's just one example of how the PGA of America is out of its depth. The television coverage here at the Atlanta Athletic Club has fallen far short of what we should be able to expect from such a supposedly important championship. In almost complete contrast to the four minutes of commercials per hour limit imposed by those charged with running the Masters at Augusta National, the telecast was a dog's breakfast at which most discerning canines would turn up their snouts.

Steve Elling counters the naysayers and reminds us that in the last 10 years, the PGA has delivered some of the most compelling finishes in golf.

Facts are facts -- it has, flat out, been the most consistently entertaining of the four majors over that span, rolling out ridiculously complicated plotlines and a series of Sundays embroidered with stress and strife.

Sometimes, and we're guilty at times, too, it's a pity that folks are rarely at a loss for words on Twitter or in sports chat rooms. Punt the PGA?

Starting in 1999, it has hands-down been the grandest of the Slams.

So what say you? Should the PGA be demoted, or is it just fine the way it is? Let us know in the comments section below.

Appleby goes long
Add Stuart Appleby to the list of players to test a long putter, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. Appleby is trying out a belly putter this week at the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C., as he hopes to join Keegan Bradley, Adam Scott and Webb Simpson as players who've all had recent success with a longer wand.

If you haven't already, vote on our Front9 Question of the Week: Should the USGA and R&A ban long putters?

Padraig Harrington's laser-eye surgery commericial banned as 'misleading'
The UK's Advertising Standards Authority has banned a laser-eye surgery television commercial featuring Padraig Harrington, according to The Guardian newspaper (UK), on the grounds that it was misleading consumers.

Optical Express ran a TV campaign and accompanying brochure promoting the benefits of its laser eye surgery featuring the Irish golfer.

In the ad he says: "People often ask me: how can I improve my game? I tell them the secret is to stay focused. And of course it's important to have great vision. I need to be able to look down the line, focusing clearly on the target. My advice? Visit Optical Express … It could help your game too."

The brochure featured a further endorsement and testimonial by Harrington.

The Advertising Standards Authority had previously upheld 23 of 25 complaints made against the campaign by rival laser eye surgery firm Ultralase and banned the ad on the grounds that it was misleading.

Two of the complaints challenged that the ad campaign indicated Harrington had undergone laser eye surgery, when Ultralase claimed he had not undergone surgery with Optical Express.

Golf Carts in Manhattan?
It's one thing to live in a gated community and take a golf cart to your local club, but could golf carts actually survive a commute in Manhattan? Time.com's Josh Sanburn recently took a street-legal golf cart for a test drive among New York's buses and out-of-control taxi cabs.

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Tiger Woods’ former coach Hank Haney didn’t hold his tongue in an interview with The Scotman’s John Huggan. Haney doesn’t think an American will win the British Open, he’s got some questions about Tiger’s return, and he’s not that impressed by Rory McIlroy’s win at last month’s U.S. Open.

On Tiger:

"Tiger isn't the best player right now," says Haney, ever the pragmatist. "Not right this minute. He isn't even a player at the moment. And whether he will be again is up for debate. There are questions to be answered. Can his body stand up to the practice he is going to have to do? That's doubtful at best. In the last three years and a bit, he has missed maybe 15 months of playing time.

"Somehow, he is going to have to get into a condition that allows him to play and practise a lot in order to get his game back. And I mean a lot, not a couple of weeks or three or four events; he's got to play a lot of golf. Can his body do that? We'll see.

On McIlroy:

He is a great young talent, but everything went his way at Congressional. It looked a lot like any other PGA Tour event so I'm not sure what was so special about it. The rough wasn't that deep and the greens were really soft. That's not a great combination, especially for the US Open. I don't rate Rory's performance -- good as it was -- with Tiger winning by 15 at Pebble Beach in 2000. There's no comparison, as Rory said himself."

If you’re not following Haney on Twitter, you really should be.

Pippa Middleton turning heads at UK golf course

Pippa Middleton, the breakout star of April’s royal wedding between her sister Kate Middleton and Prince William, has joined a golf club, according to The Telegraph UK.

Mandrake hears that Pippa, 27, who is courting the former England cricketer Alex Loudon, has joined the golf club at Bradfield College, a boarding school a few miles away from the Middleton family’s home in Berkshire.

“It’s the talk of the club,” gushes one member, somewhat breathlessly. A member of staff at Bradfield College Golf Club confirms that the Middletons have been spotted on the greens. However, Nick Barton, the club secretary, declines to celebrate his glamorous recruit.

We’re guessing Pippa will have a lot of volunteer coaches on the range.

Harrington says McIlroy has nothing to fear but fear itself

Padraig Harrington has identified a surprising potential threat to Rory McIlroy: fear. He explains it to ESPN UK:

"Kids coming into the game are usually fearless; they have no scars, no mental damage," Harrington said. "They fire at pins where there's water, there's no anxiety. Usually those players are not -- I won't use the word 'bright', because it's not to do with intelligence - but usually they don't think anything through. They just go about their business.

"But when the can of worms opens, all of a sudden that playing with freedom, the naivety, the ease of their game, is gone. Suddenly there are complications. Look at careers that have gone completely off the wall. There was no fear, then all of a sudden there is fear.

"Rory is still young. He's had a few hard lessons that will help him get there. I think Rory's at a saturation point: you can throw more pressure on him but he's already at the point where more pressure doesn't show up. He has got unbelievable focus. But can he have, long-term, no fear?

There’s a reason Padraig Harrington’s considered one of the best interviews in golf. 

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From Sports Illustrated's Gary Van Sickle:

U.S. Open champ Rory McIlroy has been enjoying the spoils of his big win at Congressional by sitting in the royal box at Wimbledon, hanging out with his buddies in Holywood, and skipping the BMW in Munich, The French Open, and the Scottish Open. Though few players would bother to give the young superstar advice on how to handle his schedule these days, former Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie, winner of zero major championships, voiced his opinion on the matter:

"I can understand two out of three, but I would like to have seen him play a competitive tournament between the two majors," said Montgomerie. "He's so natural I don't think there are any fears about his game, but it's the locker room -- there are going to be so many people wanting to congratulate him....Now he's got that ahead of him and on the first tee I think he will be mentally tired -- but who am I to say?"

Of course, you have to take everything Monty says with a grain of salt, but three-time major winner Padraig Harrington shared the same opinion: 

"When you've won and you go to your next tournament there are 155 other players and 155 other caddies who want to say 'Well done,'" Harrington said.

Rory Says He's No Longer in Awe of Tiger
Rory McIlroy has done a ton of interviews since his big U.S. Open win and has yet to say anything remotely controversial. In one of his latest appearances, however, he did manage to state that he considers Tiger just another competitor who he has no reason to fear. 

"I respect everything that Tiger has done, but I am a competitor of his now," McIlroy said. "I can't be in awe of what he does."

In the same interview McIlroy also talks about his favorite players growing up, naming Sir Nick Faldo, Sergio Garcia, and Tiger Woods as the players he most wanted to emulate. He also talks about his relationship with Jack Nicklaus. 

Rors Builds Road Hole Bunker in Backyard Practice Area
It might not be quite on the level of Tiger's compound in Jupiter, Fla., but Rory McIlroy has recently completed his own private practice facility complete with a Road Hole bunker, several American-style sand traps and just about everything else the young superstar will need to keep his short-game in top form. Check out the video here.

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From Sports Illustrated senior writer Damon Hack:

DUBLIN, Ohio -- Luke Donald is the new No. 1 player in the world, and he credits a lot of factors for his rise to the top -- hard work, a better mental attitude, even a personal diary.

But during his press conference Wednesday morning at the Memorial Tournament, Donald thanked a fellow European for inspiring his rise to the top.

"I think you need one guy to kind of inspire a generation to follow in their footsteps," Donald said. "For me I guess that was probably Padraig Harrington winning his three majors back in 2008, while I was probably on the couch in a sling."

Back in 2008, Donald was recovering from a wrist injury he suffered at the 2008 U.S. Open and needed surgery to repair a tendon. He got another scare at the 2009 Accenture Match Play Championship, when he had to withdraw after feeling pain in his wrist. Fortunately for Donald, the pain was caused by scar tissue and not the repaired tendon.

While Donald was recovering, Harrington capped his run of majors, winning the 2007 and 2008 British Opens, and the 2008 PGA Championship.

"When you're around people that you're pretty familiar with and see that they are accomplishing great things, it sets a little bit of a fire in your belly that if they can do it, so can I," Donald said. "I think we've got to thank his successes a little bit for this great run in European golf."

Donald became the third European to be ranked No. 1 this year when he beat the previous No. 1, Lee Westwood, in a playoff last week at the BMW PGA Championship in Wentworth, England. Martin Kaymer also spent eight weeks at No. 1 earlier this year.

Maybe Harrington can now take some inspiration from his fellow Europeans. He’s is at home nursing a knee injury.

(Photo: David Cannon/Getty Images)

We all know the impact five-time major winner Seve Ballesteros had on the game of golf. His swagger, charisma, incredible shotmaking ability, and competitive toughness went a long way toward elevating European golf, and the Ryder Cup, to present-day standards. But Seve hadn't been the Seve of old in a long time, and prior to his recent death, not many golf fans could probably remember the last time they saw the kid from Pedrena play golf at all, let alone well.

Regardless, professional golfers around the world clearly haven't forgotten the late Hall of Famer, and currently there's a movement to replace Harry Vardon's silhouette on the European Tour's official logo with that of Ballesteros. Supposedly started by multiple major winner Padraig Harrington, the movement has gathered steam and others, including Rory Mcllroy and his agent Chubby Chandler, have recently supported the cause via Twitter. How this all plays out is anyone's guess, but when you consider the mythic stature of Vardon and his six Open Championship victories, it's pretty clear just how much weight Seve's legacy carries with current European Tour pros. 

Secrets to watching The Players Championship

If you're planning on taking in The Players Championship in person you no doubt have a plan to camp out in the massive open area that provides a view of the 16th green, the famed 17th, and the treacherous tee shot on the 18th that forces players to fit their tee shots between water and rough. But there's more to see at Sawgrass than the final three holes, especially if you're going to be there for a couple of days. Here are some insider tips on the best spots to maximize your viewing pleasure: 

Behind the second green and third tee: Here you can watch players try to reach the par-5 second hole in two in hopes of a decent eagle try and then have a good view of their tee shots on the par-3 third. 

Between the fifth green and sixth tee: A great view of approach shots to the incredibly tough green on five as well as tee shots on six that need to avoid an overhanging branch. 

Behind the 11th green: Excellent view of player's second and third shots and a good vantage point to watch the pros wield their flatsticks. 

Behind the 15th green: Check out one of the prettiest holes on the course where contenders will most likely need to make birdie before heading to the final three. 

Behind the 9th green: A shady spot where you can see the best players in the world submit to the short game test of their lives. 

Note: If you do go to Sawgrass make sure you take advantage of the Cool Zones, featuring big screen TVs, plenty of shade, and a chance to get some cold drinks. The newly added, air-conditioned bathrooms are worth a stop as well. 

Mickelson defends Harrington

If you missed the final round of this weekend's Wells Fargo Championship then you didn't get to see one of the dumber rules-related fiascos of the season. After the round, in which Harrington finished in a tie for ninth with playing partner Phil Mickelson after shooting a tidy 68 (worth about $150k in prize money), both players were carted back out to the 13th tee to deal with a marshal's claim that Harrington had teed off in front of the tee markers. Mickelson backed Harrington immediately: 

Padraig has more integrity than anybody out here ... he's constantly checking to make sure he's playing by all the rules. This is not going to be an issue. I'm pretty comfortable with the fact that his ball was behind the marker.

In the end, due to the complete absence of conclusive evidence, video or otherwise, Tour officials Slugger White and Jon Brendle decided to let the situation pass without any official action. However Harrington didn't appear too thrilled by the marshal's accusation. 

It really would be a question of me being a martyr if I took a penalty in this instance. I've done that before but not today ... everything's just too inconclusive.

Note: If the marshal's claim been found valid, Harrington would have been disqualified under Rule 11-4b for playing from outside the teeing ground without going back and playing the hole from the correct position (with a two-stroke penalty) before teeing off on the next hole. 

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McIlroyRory - I like Sergio, he's playing good again and has won round there. RT @mjpcrawford @McIlroyRory Rory who do you like for the Players this week?

Sure it’s just an exhibition of multimillionaires playing their home courses in gated communities, but that doesn’t mean the Tavistock Cup is meaningless, especially for Tiger Woods who is trying to get a new swing in championship form before next month’s Masters Tournament. Butch Harmon told Golf365.com that if Woods didn’t play well at a relaxed event like Tavistock, then his former student might have “real problems.”

Fortunately for Woods then, he played well in Day 1 of the Tavistock Cup in Orlando on Monday, according to All Headline News.

The most scrutinized swing in golf was on display once again Monday at the Tavistock Cup matches and Tiger Woods had a relaxing day on his home course.

Woods, playing for the Isleworth team, combined with Arjun Atwal for an eight-under par round of 64 at Isleworth Country Club that helped his team take the first round lead at 30-under par. “It’s getting better,” Woods after his latest outing.

“It’s starting to feel a lot better, more consistent. It’s getting a grasp and understanding what the fixes are,” Woods said of his ongoing swing reconstruction.

Woods played well most of the day. He drove the 349-yard par fourth 16th with a three-wood and two-putted for one of his birdies.

Now if he can just beat Jimmy Fallon at miniature golf...

Is Padraig Harrington ready to reap benefits of swing change?

As a multiple major winner working on a swing change in his 30s, Padraig Harrington doesn’t get the same attention as Tiger Woods, but The Irish Independent’s Karl McGinty reports that despite a water ball that derailed his chances at Doral on Sunday, Harrington’s gambles are starting to pay off:

From Tiger down, they gamble on swing changes. In Harrington's case it was initially prompted by a combination of a nightmare final tee shot at Oakland Hills, the desire to exert less wear and tear on his body and to gain length.

The decision to invest $2m (€1.4m) in a G3 jet and stump up more than that each year to employ two pilots and to fuel, park and maintain it is another carefully considered gamble. It gives Harrington (39) the chance to play more, spend more time with his young family and relieve the stress of long-haul travel. It could stretch his career.

Harrington felt neither good nor bad about his final-round 73 on Sunday, but as those swing changes bed in, he at least joined the high-rollers once again on Sunday at a World Golf Championship, albeit briefly.

Might there be light at the end of a long dark tunnel?

Ryder Cup pays off for Wales tourism

Last fall Wales hosted one of the more memorable—if waterlogged—Ryder Cups in recent memory, and since then golf fans have been trekking to Wales to try the courses for themselves, according to Wales Online.

The Ryder Cup effect saw the economic impact of golfing holidays in Wales reach almost £42m [US $67 million] last year, figures published yesterday show.

The increase of 21% over the previous year came at a time when total rounds played across the UK as a whole decreased by 5.3%.

Heritage Minister Alun Ffred Jones attributed the large rise to Wales’ successful hosting of last year’s Ryder Cup, saying the globally-viewed event at Newport’s Celtic Manor had been “fantastic for raising the profile of Wales to an international audience.”

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AlanShipnuck Uh, Paula, he's the one who should be nervous! RT @ThePCreamer @Graeme_McDowell too nervous to say hi tonite at the party but I'm a big fan!

The Harrington Project
The world of golf is focused on the seemingly never-ending "Tiger Woods Project," but to me, "The Padraig Harrington Project" is just as fascinating. Harrington quickly collected three majors and then seemed to take his swing apart in an attempt to get better. Or so we thought. Turns out Harrington began fine-tuning his swing even before he started winning majors. Seems the guy just can't stop trying to improve his swing.

"I've made substantial changes at many tim[es] in the past," Harrington said. "I like doing it. Gets me out there, gets me working on things, gets me up in the morning, and gets me excited about it."

Through two rounds at the AT&T, the changes seem to be working. Harrington made six birdies and two bogeys on Friday at Pebble Beach, and he finds himself tied with nine other players at six shots back. Fortunately there are only three guys in front of him.

Watney Watch
One of the players tied for fourth with Harrington is Nick Watney. Watney is off to a hot start in 2011, with top-6 finishes at Torrey Pines and the Phoenix Open. In both events Watney has made a lot of noise on the weekend. He went nuts on Sunday at Torrey Pines, finishing with a 63. And at TPC Scottsdale, he shot rounds of 65 and 68.

Too Far for Phil?
After watching the first two rounds of the AT&T on the Golf Channel, it doesn't even seem like Phil Mickelson is in the tournament. Most of the broadcast is focused on Pebble Beach, so Mickelson hasn't been on TV much as he's played Monterey Peninsula and Spyglass.

Mickelson shot a bogey-free 67 Friday at Spyglass, finishing at 4 under. With Marino at 13 under, it seems like Mickelson has a tall order if he wants to get back into the tournament. But with D.A. Points in second place at 9 under, the task doesn't seem as daunting. With two tee times at Pebble Beach this weekend, we'll be seeing a lot more of Phil.

(Photo: Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

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